3. Khuldruk

3

KHULDRUK

K huldruk watched from the forest’s edge. He had traveled all this way for this beautiful creature, his true mate. He was trying to woo her, but after the conversation he just witnessed and the way she had screamed and thrown his offering this morning, he wasn't wooing her, but rather scaring her. That thought set a stone in his stomach.

In his own realm, he could woo any woman he saw fit. He was a ruler and a warrior. He wasn't used to feeling off balance. He would figure this out for his kingdom and his people. Having seen her, he was certain. She was his mate. How could she not be? The pull he felt to her was pure magic. Their connection would be too.

He sank down the trunk of the tree he had been leaning against until he was sitting on the ground. His hair snagged on the bark of the tree. His glamor had come with this obnoxious long blond hair. Other than that, he supposed his glamor was good enough. He still felt strong and had some of his tattoos, so it was enough to make him feel like himself, even if he looked human.

"Hmmmm. What have we here?" asked a voice behind him.

He immediately jumped to his feet, baring his teeth, only to find a small older woman looking up at him with an interested smile.

They sized each other up. She was like no human he had ever seen. Well, that wasn't true—she looked very human, but there was something more than human about her.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

He watched, perplexed, as she just raised her eyebrow at him. "I was going to ask ye the same question."

Again, there was a long pause. He could sense her magic, but it was not magic that belonged in the human realm.

"Why are you bothering the lass?" she asked with eyes that bore right into him.

"Bothering her? I'm not bothering her. I'm trying to woo her," he sputtered out.

"Woo her by leaving dead animals on her doorstep?"

He just nodded. "It is an offering. I’m showing I can take care of her, that I’ll provide for her."

The little woman crossed her arms over her chest. "Woo her, ye say? Just where are ye from?"

"Not around here."

"Clearly, but I mean, where are ye really from?"

He examined her a bit longer. He had been told humans didn't know magic. They had many different names for it, but their knowledge of it was primitive, and their knowledge or realms was nonexistent. Be that as it may, he would swear this woman knew more than any human should.

A smile stretched across her face he couldn't read, but to be fair, he couldn’t read anything about this woman. Then, she outstretched her palm and gave a small nod. Suddenly, the wind blew around them, and there was a crack of lightning and a roll of thunder, and it was raining. But the rain was only on her palm; everywhere else, it was a pleasant fall evening with the sun just starting to set. She was magic.

"Now," she said as she closed her palm, and the weather went back to normal. "I'll ask ye again: where are ye from?"

"I am not from this realm," he said simply.

"I suspected as much, but I don't sense any Fae magic in you," she said, still trying to figure him out.

"No. You wouldn't. I'm from what is known in this world as the monster realm."

"Are ye now?" Bridget said, her eyes growing big. "I’ve heard of the portal and have met a few who have monster heritage, but I’ve never met one from the realm. And I must say, yer glamor is fantastic. What kind of monster are ye?"

Her excitement was not what he was expecting, but before he was going to answer any questions, he had a few of his own. "How do you know so much about the realms?"

"Of course, ye have some questions of yer own. I’ll just tell ye I was given the power of the Fae many years ago."

He nodded at her. "Given or tricked?"

"Ahhh, I see ye’re familiar with the Fae. Why don't ye come with me and we can have a real chat?"

"Lead the way," he said, stretching a hand before her.

He followed her down the camp until he came to a site with a tent and a purple Volkswagen van.

"This is my site. Why don't ye come in and I'll make ye a nice cuppa tea?"

He nodded and followed her into the tent. If he had not known she had the power of the Fae, he would have known now. Once he walked through the flap, it gave way to a cozy house with a front sitting room, a warm fire blazing and a little table and sitting area. In the back corner was a soft, inviting bed.

"I'll just pop the kettle on. We can sit and chat, or if ye require the bathroom, it is right past that door."

"What is this?" he asked in awe.

"As I said, I was given the gift of the Fae many years ago. I know my way around magic," she said while she put the kettle on. She turned to face him, and her eyes got a bit bigger before a smile found her face. "An orc? An orc in the human realm? Now, this is something I’ve never seen before!"

He looked down at his hand, and sure enough, his glamor was gone.

"All part of the magic," she said as she gestured around her.

"Now, what is it ye are doing here, and what it is ye want with Calli?"

"The magic is fading from my clan. We have not been able to find our true mates. I was sent here because a mystic told me my mate was here."

"And you think Calli is your mate?"

"Yes," he said with a simple nod. "I know that doesn't make sense. She is human. It is unheard of, but here I am."

"How did ye know? How did ye find her?" Bridget asked. There was no malice behind her questions, only curiosity, so Khuldruk reached into his pocket and pulled out the magical brick that had shown him the way, setting it on the table before them. Bridget just looked up at him with an even more confused expression.

"The mystic woman gave me this. It showed me Calli and led me here, but it seems to be out of magic."

Bridget picked it up and looked at it with a smile stretching across her face.

"Do you know how to fix it?"

"Ye got this from your realm, you say?" She picked it up and examined it.

"Yes, but it doesn't seem to be working. It got me here, but now I cannot see it. I can't even check to see if the most beautiful creature I have ever seen is my true mate, but she must be."

"And ye found her with this?" Bridget said with almost a laugh.

"Yes."

"But now the magic is gone?"

"Yes," he said as irritation started creeping in.

"Tomorrow, stop by where Calli sings and ask if she can charge this for ye."

"Charge it for me? Will that help in wooing her?"

"Oh, my sweet little gord,” she said with a small pat to his large hand. “No. That will bring back the magic to yer phone. That's what this is called. All the humans have them."

"Really?" he said, examining the brick. "A phone? And she’ll know how to fix it?"

"Yes, and maybe we can talk about wooing a human while we are at it. Well... mostly a human."

"What do you mean mostly a human?" he asked quickly.

"I have long felt there was something special about Calli, but with your sudden appearance, I’d wager she has magic in her past she may not know of."

She got up and poured him a cup of tea. "Stick with me. What is your name?"

"Khuldruk," he said in a low rumble.

"Khuldruk... How would you feel about just going by Dru?It is human enough to match your handsome glamor."

"Yes, fine. What must I do to woo this woman?" he asked desperately.

She brought the tea down and sat across from him. "The love life of remarkable creatures is my specialty. Stick with me, and I’ll help ye woo the lass. For starters... I think you should lay off the dead animals."

The rest of the night, the two of them sat, and Bridget told him everything he needed to know about wooing a woman in this realm. They had a plan, and tomorrow, they would put that plan into action.

"Are you sure you don't want to sleep on the bed?" asked Bridget.

"No, I'm fine out in the woods. I prefer to be near her."

"Of course. Stop by in the morning for breakfast, and we’ll take on the day from there."